News Archive

NEWS ARCHIVE

Drivers who frequent the Mississippi Bridge on Highway 24 Bridge near Clearwater will notice some changes this week. From Monday thru Thursday between 8:00 am and 3:30 pm, lanes will be closed while workers maintain and patch up the bridge. There will be single lane traffic only during the noted times.

Just ten months after making a memorable visit in St. Cloud, world-renowned dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham has died at the age of 90. Those close to Cunningham say he died of natural causes Sunday at his Manhattan home. His career spanned more than 60 years and some 150 works.

One of those works was “Ocean.” Many central Minnesotans might remember the Merce Cunningham Dance Company’s performance last September at the Rainbow Quarry in Waite Park.

Cunningham revolutionized dance by wiping out storytelling and even rolling dice to determine steps. He said the use of chance helped free his imagination. Though confined to a wheelchair in later years, Cunningham remained an active artist. When he turned 90 in April, he premiered a long piece called “Nearly Ninety.”

Mayor Dave Kleis proclaimed Tuesday, August 4th to be National Night Out in the City of St. Cloud. That night, neighborhoods throughout St. Cloud will join forces with thousands of communities nationwide with this crime and drug prevention event. National Night Out is designed to create crime awareness and drug prevention, strengthen relationships between police and the community, and send messages to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are fighting back. More than 34 million people are expected to participate nationwide. This event is set to last from 6 to 10 pm.

These projects have additional funds from other sources already committed to them. The D.O.T says the aim is to promote economic development, increase employment, relieve congestion and promote safety through these projects.

Two boys broke into a home and stole items from a home early Saturday morning. At about 1:45 am Saint Cloud Police responded to the 700 block of 6th Avenue South for a reported burglary. Police say two boys entered the home and stole video game equipment and a purse. The victims interrupted the burglary and chased the suspects out of the home. When the suspects ran, they dropped the purse. The two suspects, described by police as young black men, could not be found by police. Anyone with information is asked to call the St. Cloud Police Department at (320) 255-1301.

A five time convicted felon faces up to 15 years in federal prison after investigators caught him with a gun last Thursday.

It happened at around 4:00 pm at the former Circuit City store in St. Cloud. While conducting surveillance, the Central Minnesota Drug and Gang Task Force saw 33-year-old Lyons Bynum, a confirmed member of the Vice Lords street gang, grab a .357 magnum revolver from an unlocked car. The gun was one of 10 reported stolen during a burglary earlier this month in Kimball.

After a brief foot chase in which Bynum dropped the firearm, Sheriff’s officials arrested him. Bynum is being held at the Stearns County Jail facing charges of firearm possession, fleeing police, possession of drugs and terroristic threats.
Investigators are considering possible charges under the “Armed Career Criminal” statute, which carries a mandatory minimum 15 year federal prison sentence.

Road Construction continues in downtown Saint Cloud as crews work to rebuild sections of Highway 23 and get a new bridge up by late fall. Here are the latest road updates:

Washington Memorial Drive, south of Highway 23, will close to traffic on Monday. Drivers will be detoured onto 14th Avenue. That closure is expected to last for about 2 weeks.

The South Side of 7th avenue and Highway 23 remains closed to traffic as crews work in the intersection. Traffic is being detoured to the 5th Avenue intersection.
Grading work on the northbound lanes of 9th avenue, south of the bridge, and on Highway 23 from the on and off ramps to 6th avenue is now done.

Highway 23 was closed from Wilson Avenue to Lincoln Avenue on Monday so crews could re-build the Wilson Avenue intersection. Drivers are being detoured onto Lincoln Avenue to 1st Street North.

Work continues on the bridge as well. Crews have finished decking the main bridge span over the river. They'll soon start working on retaining walls on the east side of the river.

St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis is looking for the public's input on the Economic Development Task Force. He'll take questions and comments at his next Town Hall Meeting. That happens Monday at 4:30 in the City Council Chambers.

St. Cloud police are looking for a burglar who broke into a home Thursday and stole Playstation 2 gear. It happened in the 1000 block of 35th Avenue North. Police got the call at about 7:30. They say sometime during the day, someone broke into the house by ripping off a screen window. Once inside they stole a Playstation 2 console, two controllers, five games and a camera. Anyone with information about the break in should call St. Cloud police.

We now know the name of the 7-year-old St. Cloud boy hit by a car Tuesday afternoon.
Police say 7-year-old Ian Hoy is still at the St. Cloud Hospital in serious condition. This incident happened just after 3:00 pm at University Drive South and 13th Avenue South. St. Cloud police say Hoy was on foot when he was struck by a car driven by 59-year-old Michael Erickson of St. Cloud. When police arrived, the boy was unconscious. He was brought to the St. Cloud hospital where he remains. Officers are still investigating this crash.

Folks in the St. Cloud area raised $110,000 during this year's Start! Heart Walk, facilitated by the American Heart Association. On May 2, more than 800 people from central Minnesota participated in the walk to help raise money in the fight against heart disease and stroke - America's leading causes of death and disability. The American Heart Association thanks the St. Cloud community for giving from the heart to save lives.

Two children are in the hospital after the bike trailer they were riding in was hit by a car. It happened just before noon on Tuesday just outside Menards in Waite Park. The Waite Park Police Department says the driver, 52-year-old Dale Meyer of St. Cloud, was looking north while exiting the Menards parking lot. That's when, from the south, 25-year-old Jason Tomsich was crossing in front of Meyer's car on his bike. He had two children in a trailer behind the bike. Police say Meyer moved forward and hit the children's trailer. The children, ages 5 and 1, were brought to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life threatening injuries.

There is a very unique show going on this Friday in St. Cloud. The GREAT Theatre downtown is partnering with the Boys and Girls Club to put on a performance of the play "Seussical." The GREAT Theatre is hosting a seven-hour residency each day this week, where the kids learn their lines and run through the scenes. Friday’s show will take place in the Performing Arts Center at the new Eastside Boys and Girls Club. Spokesperson Aimee Minnerath says the kids can’t wait for the show.

"Many of the kids who are served by the Boys and Girls Club just don't have the support necessary to be able to participate in community theater or theater in school so having a stage and performing arts programs at the club really gives them that opportunity to get involved," said Minnerath.

The performance will take place this Friday, July 24th at 3:00 P-M at the Eastside Boys and Girls Club on Raymond Avenue. The show is free and open to the public.

If you’ve traveled through the southern part of Sartell, you’ve probably noticed construction signs. County Road 120 is closed to thru traffic and county road 1 south of highway 15 is down to 1 in some parts. City Engineer Jeremy Mathiasen says traffic will be traveling in the northbound lanes of the county road 1 over the next few weeks. Work on County Road 1 and 120 is expected to wrap up by the end of September. All road work in the area is expected to wrap up by the end of October.

An eastbound chunk of Heritage Drive, near the County Road 1 and 120 project, is also under construction. Mathiasen says crews are working to make the road safer and smoother. He says paving begins Wednesday and will be open in the next couple weeks.

Former St. Cloud State University President Robert Bess passed away Monday morning in California. Current President Earl Potter is sharing the news with the campus and community via an e-mail announcement. In his message he writes that Bess was a California transplant that loved his home state, but he had anything but an interim attitude while he served at SCSU. He quickly became known as a fair and involved leader. He was appointed to the position of interim president in 1992, following the resignation of Brendan McDonald. He served until 1995.

Both campus and community members appreciated his advocacy for equal opportunity and enriching experiences for every individual at the university. Under his leadership the American Indian Center was formed. One of his last actions as president was to confer St. Cloud State University’s first honorary doctorate on 90-year-old Minnesota labor leader and civil rights activist Nellie Stone Johnson because, he said, her life and accomplishments had been a testament to the lessons that the best educators and parents wish to instill in their students and their children.

Bess was known as well for his enthusiastic support for the arts and local cultural organizations. He was the driving force behind an ambitious St. Cloud public fundraising campaign to renovate Stewart Hall Auditorium with new seats, sound system and other needed improvements.

Perhaps the greatest legacy of Bess’s presidency was building the foundation for greater opportunities for educational exchanges with colleges in South Africa, a project he began just a year after legal segregation under apartheid in that country was ended.